New coach starts making his mark for Wheaton North

5
Years that David Brackmann coached the Falcons sophomore team before taking over the varsity after Jim Nazos left for Batavia.

WHAT TO WATCH
With Jim Nazos moving on to Batavia, David Brackmann comes up from the sophomore ranks to take over the Falcons. Brackmann was initially sad when he heard about Nazos’ departure, but excitement took over when he found out he had a chance at the job.

He inherits three returning starters from a squad that is looking to reverse its fortunes from a year ago.

“I am extremely excited about it,” Brackmann said. “I am going to make a few changes and do things differently without a complete overhaul of the program. That is not necessary. There is a great tradition here and I’m just going to put my own stamp on it to hopefully put us where I want to be.”

Headlining the group back is 6-foot-11 senior center Andrew Zelis, who recently committed to Stetson University. Junior guard Matt Biegalski also returns along with senior forward Jaylen Howze.

Seniors Luc Moran, Mitch Vosberg and Joe Wayhart should also see expanded roles while junior Clayton Thorson, who was expected to be a major contributor, will miss time with a broken collarbone suffered in football.

“I envision a team that will be tough to beat,” the coach said. “We have a good inside presence, we’ve got guys on the outside. We can play an inside-out style of game. And I think we have a group that can be a good defensive team. We have a lot of athleticism with a big presence in the middle.”